Playoff games lost in the haze for a day

TAMPA - Nearly all of Tuesday's scheduled high school playoffs in the bay area went up in a wildfire-induced haze of smoke, but officials are hopeful the games can be rescheduled for today.

With most of west central Florida blanketed in the haze spawned by wildfires hundreds of miles to the north, local and state athletic officials postponed Tuesday's two state championship softball games in Plant City and most area region baseball contests.

Those games tentatively have been rescheduled for today, should the smoke begin clearing as meteorologists project.

Today's early games could hinge on when the smoke clears. Action at the state softball tournament at Plant City Stadium - air quality permitting - is set to resume at 10 a.m. with the Class A final. Pasco's 3A semifinal against Okeechobee still is set for 5 p.m.

"It's just a wait and see, " Florida High School Athletic Association spokesperson Robert Hernberger said. "I don't know if there's a drop-dead time to decide on today's contests, it's just a matter of waking up in the morning and seeing what the conditions are."

All postponed baseball playoff games involving local teams tentatively are set for today, most at their originally scheduled times. Clearwater Central Catholic's 3A region final against Fort Pierce John Carroll was the only local game played Tuesday.

"I was just out working on the field and my eyes started watering and I was coughing, " said Sarasota High baseball coach Clyde Metcalf, whose team was scheduled to host Alonso in a 5A region final Tuesday. "I thought, somebody with breathing troubles might have a real problem with this."

Meantime, public school football programs in Pasco and Hillsborough counties were ordered to hold spring practices indoors, while Pinellas athletic director Nick Grasso sent a letter urging county public schools to use their discretion when holding practices.

Athletic directors at two Hernando County schools - Springstead and Nature Coast Tech - said spring practices at their respective schools would go on as planned. Hernando High canceled its practice.

"I walked out this morning and took a breath and started coughing and said, 'What the heck is going on out here?' " Robinson football coach Mike DePue said. "This is terrible. Seriously, I think a kid with asthma would have a problem with this.

"I don't think we should blow this out of proportion, either. I think it's good to take a precautionary day, but let's continue to be smart about it. We don't want to go overboard and start canceling all these practices unless it's necessary."

Times staff writers Kellie Dixon, David Murphy, Bob Putnam and Scott Purks contributed to this report. Joey Knight can be reached at (813) 226-3350 or jknight@sptimes.com.